2014-15 Awards EditionNewsletter
Transcription
2014-15 Awards EditionNewsletter
Keeping KAMSC Families Informed | Summer 2015 | Volume 21, Issue 1 AWARDS EDITION FROM THE DIRECTOR, Dr. Michael Tanoff Highlights Summer greetings to our KAMSC family! I hope that you have been enjoying our mild summer — so far! We still have several weeks before the unusually late start for the ’15-’16 school year, with the first day of KAMSC classes on Wednesday, September 9th. As always, KAMSC remains busy during the summer, with hundreds of students participating in our on-site Sizzlin’ Summer Math & Science Program and other summer outreach activities. Once again, we were delighted to be able to provide financial assistance to all Sizzlin’ Summer students requiring support, thanks to the generosity of local philanthropists. The KAMSC office staff is active supporting our summer programs, and preparing for the forthcoming academic year. Our teachers have been busy as well, traveling and participating in seminars, workshops, research experiences, and curricular updates, so that they may bring fresh perspectives into the classroom. Class of 2015 3 Student Ac vi es 4 Student Advocate News 6 Parent Organiza on 7 This issue of Linkages focuses on the many achievements and activities of our students and teachers from the past academic year, including the year’s highlight of sixty-four seniors completing their studies at KAMSC, and being recognized for this achievement at the Class of 2015 Senior Recognition Ceremony on May 26th. We are proud of the diverse interests being pursued by our new alumni, ranging from political science, dermatology, criminology, and law, to environmental science, nanoengineering, computer science, physics, and biomedical engineering. The list of colleges and universities that our graduates will attend continues to be impressive, including Yale University, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, The University of Chicago, and the U.S. Naval Academy, and in-state colleges and universities including Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, Michigan Technological University, and Kalamazoo College. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 8‐12 Computer Compe ons 13‐21 Research Awards 22‐23 Book Awards 24 Tenta ve Calendar 25 While the summer issue of Linkages focuses on the many awards garnered by, and recognition received by, our KAMSC students for their achievement in interscholastic competitions and research projects, it also contains important information from Ms. Joyce, KAMSC’s Student Advocate, and the KAMSC Parents Organization, as well as information on student activities and announcements and calendars from the KAMSC office. Enjoy this Summer 2015 edition of Linkages, and look forward to our fall edition in mid-September. As always, I remain available for your questions, comments, and concerns at (269) 337-0004, or MTanoff@kamsc.k12.mi.us. 2014‐2015 Awards Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Important Tidbits Website: kamsconline.com 26 1 Congratulations, Mr. Chopp — we’ll miss you! Mr. Chris Chopp, KAMSC honors biology, AP biology, and honors cell biology teacher for the past four years, left KAMSC in June to become the director of the Comstock STEM Academy. Mr. Chopp had developed KAMSC’s ninth grade biology program into one in which crosscutting concepts and hands-on laboratory and field activities pervaded the opportunities for student engagement, and was responsible for creating a classroom environment of trust and safety, in which peer-to-peer discussions and student-teacher interactions were open and productive. Mr. Chopp was an integral part of KAMSC’s ninth grader transition team, helping students transition from middle school to the KAMSC high school program, and co-taught our Intro to Science Inquiry Program which allows entering ninth graders to experience the KAMSC learning environment prior to the start of the academic year. We are pleased that Mr. Chopp will remain close to home, and look forward to working with him and the Comstock STEM Academy on joint projects for engaging students from both programs. We are excited about Mr. Chopp working to enhance the KAMSC student pipeline. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Chopp on his exciting transition from classroom teacher to school leader as he prepares for his administrative role with the K-8 program at the Comstock STEM Academy. Mr. Chopp may be contacted at ChoppC@comstockps.org. Welcome to KAMSC, Ms. Chapoton! The KAMSC teachers and staff are excited to welcome Ms. Colleen Chapoton as KAMSC’s new biology teacher! Ms. Chapoton will be responsible for teaching three sections of KAMSC honors biology and two sections of AP biology. Ms. Chapoton’s educational background is in biology and psychology; she possesses professional certification in both areas. Ms. Chapoton has thirteen years of experience as a high school teacher, with a rich slate of courses taught to her credit, including biology, AP biology, environmental science, and anatomy and physiology, plus has experience teaching courses in allied areas such at algebra, geometry, and physical science. She has served in several leadership roles, including team leader for mathematics and science teacher professional learning communities, and science department chair. Ms. Chapoton was the recipient of an Excellence In Education grant which allowed her to work in an NSF (National Science Foundation) sponsored program with the world’s leading researchers in biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, the Smithsonian Research Center, and the National Zoo, and has presented work on pedagogy for the Michigan Education Association and for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Chapoton will join Ms. Hach in offering KAMSC’s Intro to Science Inquiry Program for our incoming ninth graders. She will join Mrs. Kalnins and Mr. Cardwell as the third member of KAMSC’s ninth grader transition team, helping students transition from middle school to the KAMSC high school program. Please join me in welcoming, enthusiastically, Ms. Chapoton to the KAMSC educational team. Ms. Chapoton may be contacted at cchapoton@kamsc.k12.mi.us. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 2 CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2015!!! Name Andrews, Cameron Baldwin, William Batsell, Evan Beck, Grace Bertman, Isaac Betts, Madelyn Blinkiewicz, Hailey Bower, Samuel Brown, Alexander Butt, Kaylie Callahan, Patrick Chapin, Abby Chu, Ian Coles, Adam Comes, Alec D'Souza, Kathleen Eldridge, Seth Emenheiser, Anna Epskamp-Hunt, Eleanor Ervin, McKinzie Esman, Shelby Fenwick, Edward Folsom, Calvin Gulliver, Samuel Hamman, Carolyn Haney, Isabella Hanley, Colby Johnson, Lars Kamath, Sharat Kleber, Lyric Kotekal, Subhodh Kwon, Kimberly Le, An Le, Binh Lenning, Benjamin Maddux, Benjamin Martell, Cydney Mendez, Chloe Meyers, Hannah Mills, Zacharias Nwagbo, Ugochukwu Ochoa, Jorge O'Leary, Helen Park, Kayla Perrin, Gabrielle Pruitt, Miles Rastogi, Kabir Razi, Farzad Reid, Elizabeth Rizzolo, Skylar Russcher, Parker Schultz, Peter Shirey, Abigail Smith, Margaret Spitsbergen, Jake Steinman, Michael Strehl, Elizabeth Vlachos, Zoe Wait, Haley Waltz, Matoska Werme, Kevin Wile, Jessica Woodsmith, Tristan Yang, Chang Phone: (269) 337‐0004 High School Kalamazoo Central Gull Lake Kalamazoo Central Portage Northern Kalamazoo Central Portage Northern Loy Norrix Loy Norrix Loy Norrix Portage Northern Vicksburg Schoolcraft Portage Central Portage Central Kalamazoo Central Portage Northern Gull Lake Loy Norrix Loy Norrix Vicksburg Loy Norrix Gull Lake Vicksburg Loy Norrix Gull Lake Portage Northern Portage Northern Loy Norrix Portage Central Loy Norrix Portage Central Portage Northern Portage Central Portage Central Schoolcraft Portage Central Gull Lake Gull Lake Loy Norrix Portage Central Portage Northern Hackett Catholic Prep Kalamazoo Central Portage Northern Vicksburg Kalamazoo Central Portage Central Portage Northern Portage Northern Comstock Kalamazoo Central Schoolcraft Portage Northern Hackett Catholic Central Parchment Loy Norrix Portage Northern Portage Northern Parchment Kalamazoo Central Portage Northern Schoolcraft Loy Norrix Portage Central College Plan Michigan State U (Honors) U Michigan (Engineering) U Michigan (Engineering) Kalamazoo College Denison U Kalamazoo College U Michigan (LS&A) U Michigan (LS&A) Western Michigan U Milwaukee School of Engineering MIT U Michigan (Engineering) U Michigan (LS&A) Colgate U Michigan State U (Honors) U Michigan (Engineering) U Wisconsin- Madison Kalamazoo College U Michigan (LS&A) Kalamazoo College Western Michigan U (Honors) U Michigan (Engineering) Western Michigan U Kalamazoo College U Miami Kalamazoo College U Michigan (Engineering) U Michigan (LS&A) Kalamazoo College U Michigan (LS&A) U Chicago Macalester College Yale U MIT Western Michigan U (Honors) U Michigan (Engineering) Kalamazoo College Illinois Institute of Technology Kalamazoo College Michigan Tech U U Michigan (Engineering) Columbia U U Michigan (LS&A) Kalamazoo College US Naval Academy Hope College U Michigan (Engineering) Kalamazoo College U Michigan (Engineering) Kalamazoo College Michigan Tech U Kalamazoo College U Notre Dame Kalamazoo College Michigan State U (Lyman Briggs) Western Michigan U U of Michigan (Engineering) University of Colorado Boulder North Central College U Michigan (Engineering) U Michigan (Engineering) Kalamazoo College U Michigan (LS&A) U Michigan (LS&A) Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Career Interest Mechanical Engineering Computer Scientist Software Developer Environmental Science Political Aide Biological Research Chemistry Biologist Nanoengineering Industrial Engineer Mechanical Engineer Engineer/Environmental Sci Computer Science International Economics Media & Information Engineer Biomedical Engineer Biomedical Engineer Medicine Dermatologist Criminology Computer Engineer Teacher Chemistry Marine Biologist Medicine Computer Science Veterinarian Physician Medicine Physician Computer Science Medicine Electrical Engineering Chemist Biomedical Engineer Orthopedic Surgeon Electrical Engineer Scientific Research Engineer Software Engineer Neuroscience Physician Physicist Engineer Mechanical Engineer Mechanical Engineer Neurosurgeon Computer Science Software Engineer Computer Science Physicist Business Doctor Physicist Statistics Medicine Environmental Architect Actuary Computer Science/Math Mechanical Engineer Actuary Business Professor/Law Website: kamsconline.com 3 Student Activities KAMSC Cricket: We succeeded in our Drive for Five When? June 9, 2015. Where? Kalamazoo, Michigan. What? A fifth straight State Cricket championship! Coach Mike Sinclair – who would have earned yet another High School Cricket Coach of the Year in Michigan if it existed – proudly pointed out that “Since no other teams existed, it was a clear victory for our KAMSC (m)athletes.” The Men’s team cruised to a 90/all out victory while the Women’s team picked up a 19/all out win, both completing their fifth consecutive State sweep. Junior Jawad Aqeel and sophomore Kyra Kothawala were named the Gentleman and Lady of the Match, respectively. Highlights of the matches included a 31-run pick -up over two innings by junior Matt Ruge and sophomore Kyra Kothawala accounting for 9 of the Ladies’ team’s 19 runs. Arthur Woodworth became the Center’s first 3-year varsity player and, despite the lower-than-hoped for turnout, several students will be eligible for 2nd and 3rd year awards next spring. And perhaps we’ll even have a round-robin competition with Berrien County and BCAMSC. Maybe. And once again, the Center will be preparing for the 2016 State Championships with an organizational meeting on October 14th at 7:00 pm in the Presentation Center. Teams will then follow months of “intense” practice prior to the competition in the spring. All interested students are encouraged to meet with Mr. Sinclair and/ or attend the information meeting next month. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 On February 25, fourteen senior girls par cipated in a course on safety awareness techniques and self‐defense strategies. The course was led by Ms.Tammy Wedeking, KAMSC alumna parent and mar al ar st, in coordina on with other experienced mar al ar sts including KAMSC parents Dr. Michael Park and Dr. Joon Park. GISMO On Saturday November 15, 2014, eighty‐six 6th and 7th grade girls from all over the area came to KAMSC for the GISMO (Girls Inves ‐ gate Science and Math Opportuni es) conference, doing hands‐on ac‐ vi es and learning about working in STEM fields, from a great group of women professionals in biology, chemistry, sta s cs, and computer sci‐ ence, assisted by KAMSC and college student volunteers. The GISMO team was especially pleased to discover that the stellar dozen first‐year KAMSC women who shepherded groups of girls through the day had almost all a ended GISMO when they were younger! If you are (or know) a woman STEM professional who might be interested in providing las ng impact by sharing a day with interested young girls on November 7, 2015 please contact Susan Fisher at sfisher@kamsc.k12.mi.us. Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 4 Comstock STEM Elementary Students Learn Programming at KAMSC Photo to the left: A group of 3rd grade students from the Comstock STEM Academy and their KAMSC mentors wrapped up eight sessions of programming with a fun photo. Summer 2014 Volume XX Photo to the right: A 4th grade student from the Comstock STEM Academy works with her KAMSC mentors to program her Finch Robot to follow the light beam of a flashlight. Fi een 3rd through 5th grade students from the Comstock STEM Academy visited KAMSC eight mes each during the 3rd marking period to learn about computer programming and some of the basics of robo cs. The visi ng students each were mentored by two or three 9th grade KAMSC students, who taught them how to program using Scratch and Snap!. Scratch and Snap!, developed by the Massachuse s Ins tute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley (Cal‐Berkeley), are so‐called "drag and drop" programming languages that allow stu‐ dents to learn computer programming without having to focus on syntax and the details of a more tradi onal programming language. The students programmed character anima ons and games on their PCs and also pro‐ grammed Finch Robots. The Finches, developed originally at Carnegie‐Mellon University, are small classroom robots that feature high durability and a variety of sensors, motors and light ca‐ pabili es that are all programmable by students. KAMSC 9th grade students are using these same technologies in their Informa on Technology class and enjoyed sharing their exper se with their young friends from Comstock. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 5 A note from Ms. Joyce Student Advocate Alumni Have All the Answers (or at least try) What if college students who attended KAMSC could share their experiences face to face with current KAMSC students? This vision comes true each December. Our alumni, representing colleges from California to Connecticut, visit eleventh and twelfth grade classes to answer questions about college. We invite all alumni to visit on the last day of classes in December when many alumni are in town visiting family. This year we had over 100 alumni join us. After alumni speak to classes, the KAMSC Parent Organization provides a generous spread of refreshments while staff, alumni and students chat and network. We are grateful to both alumni and parents for making Alumni Day possible. We are making plans to have alumni come share their experiences with ninth and tenth grade students as well. College Planning News from Ms. Joyce Looking for a good college planning book? There are many good ones and one of my favorites is Admission Possible; The Dare to Be Yourself Guide for Getting into the Best Colleges for You by Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz. Investigating scholarships? The Kalamazoo Foundation Scholarship Guide at kalfound.org has local scholarship information. Fast Web is a free scholarship search available at www.fastweb.com. Beware of any site that asks you to pay a fee for information. Academic Success News KAMSC Peer Tutors Ready to Help Want someone to help you review for the next biology test? Want to work math problems with someone at your side to answer questions? KAMSC Peer Tutors can work with you for a one time session or weekly. To take advantage of this resource contact Ms. Joyce. Study tip: Test Yourself! Have you ever thought “I looked over my notes – I thought I was ready for that test,” and then been disappointed? Test yourself before the real thing. Try these ideas from students that have been in your shoes: Use sample problems and questions from your notes, text and quizzes to make your own quiz Make flashcards (some students like quizlet.com) Make a diagram without labels and try to label it without looking at your notes Practice answering questions out loud as if you were teaching someone. Or, try writing out your answer Ask a classmate or peer tutor to quiz you Opportunities for you: Be sure to check the bulletin board outside Ms. Joyce's room for information on everything from summer camps to scholarships to poetry contests. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 6 A note from the Parents Organization By the me you read this, the 2014‐2015 school‐year will have been completed. The past nine months students, par‐ ents, and KAMSC staff were busy accomplishing many tasks and achieving a higher degree of learning. The Parents Organiza on was busy as well. We have been able to provide support for many special events such as College Night, 9th Grade Orienta on, and the end of the year staff apprecia on lunch. With your support we were also able to pro‐ vide funds for student awards, compe on fees, guest speaker honorariums, and field trips. What takes place at KAMSC every year requires coordinated effort by our officers and many kind and a en ve par‐ ents that take the me to volunteer their me to help and we are thankful for that. Without our KAMSC parents, facilita ng the mission of KAMSC is difficult if not impossible. We want our students to reach their goals successfully and we all have different roles and responsibili es to help them accomplish that. Whether it was the 9th Grade Ori‐ Summer 2014 enta on or Mixer, the Open House, the Senior‐Mentor Tea, the Senior Recogni on Ceremony, KAMSC staff luncheon Volume XX or field trips… these are examples of events that took a great deal of a en on, detail and prepara on. We truly ap‐ preciate what you have done and you will be rewarded in one way or another, but mainly by the impact your ac ons have le on our students. When it comes to apprecia on, no group deserves more than the KAMSC teachers, director, and office staff. They are relentless in pursuing what is best for the students. Caring for, challenging, guiding, challenging…did I men on challenging our students towards achieving their highest poten al. The efforts and hours you put into making the KAMSC experience special for our children are much appreciated. The direc on and guidance you provide our stu‐ dents is what makes their experience manageable and rewarding. We all know now that KAMSC is a jewel within this community. The KAMSC staff is what makes it shine bright. Thank you again! Parents Organiza on officers: Thank you for another great year at KAMSC and for your involvement. Special thanks go out to the following Officers who will not be with us this coming 2015‐2016 school year since their kids are moving on to the next great stage, higher educa on: Lisa Batsell—Vice President, Sue Bourget‐Coles—Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Schaefer—Parent Ambassador Coordinator, Nicole Reid—Senior Ac vi es Commi ee Chair and last but not least, Rodney Prui —Student Senate Advisor. Huge thanks for your service and volunteer hours. You set an example for selfless giving! KAMSC parents: If you already have a child at KAMSC but have not been involved, or your child is about to join the KAMSC family, we ask that you please get involved. At a minimum, come to our mee ngs. This is a great opportunity to make a difference! As you can tell by now, we have few open officer posi ons so please contact me if you are interested in joining. Come join Wendy Woods who has already volunteered to be our next Volunteer Coordinator and Karen Woodworth who decided to pull double duty and pick up the responsibility of the Senior Ac vi es Com‐ mi ee Chair is addi on to her Treasurer responsibility. Come join our team: President: Shaher Ahmad Treasurer and Senior Ac vi es Commi ee Chair: Karen Woodworth Secretary: Jus ne McKenzie Volunteer Coordinator: Wendy Woods Parent Ambassador Coordinator: Jackie Martell Vice President: Open Student Senate Advisor: Open Please mark your calendars! The dates of the mee ngs will be the third Wed of each month star ng Sep 23rd 2015. Mee ngs start @ 6:00pm in the KAMSC Presenta on Center. Shaher Ahmad, KAMSC PO President Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 7 2014-2015 Awards Awards of Academic Achievement Director’s Awards of Academic Excellence (All A’s – 7 semesters) Carolyn Hamman Subhodh Kotekal Binh Le Benjamin Maddux Cydney Martell Kayla Park Abigail Shirey Kevin Summer 2014 Werme Volume XX High Honors (All A’s and at most one B) Seniors Hailey Blinkiewicz Edward Fenwick Farzad Razi Patrick Callahan Kimberly Kwon Margaret Smith Abby Chapin Juniors Sami Ahmad Sydnie Bodzianowski Matthew Krinock Matthew Ring Jawad Aqeel Brandon Born Maya Lannen Alexis Roberts Ashton Armstead Savannah Crooks Ericka Lozon Judy Smith Connor Bach Jack Eichman Samuel Maddox Rachel Torres Benjamin Beach Chelsie Eiden Riley Martell Emilyl Veenhuis Margaret Benjamin Natasha Goenawan Ziyan Mo Hannah Wang Grace Beverage Kento Hirakawa Paige O’Connor Nikita Bhatia Otto Kailing Michael Orwin Aheer Alvi William Chung Elizabeth Kimmel Kyleigh Phillips Andrew Backer Zoe Folsom Lily Kitagawa Aayushi Priya Olivia Ballentine Claire Holley Kyra Kothawala Samuel Ratliff Ashton Bjork Josephine Hosner Savannah McDowell Vaughn Taylor Chad Blackwell Danielle Janowicz Praneeth Medepalli Ava Wood Veronica Buss Caroline Jordan Vivek Parikh Lachlan Woods Sophomores Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 8 Honors (All A's & B's and at most one C) Seniors Cameron Andrews Kathleen D’Souza An Le Perter Schultz William Baldwin Seth Eldridge Benjamin Lenning Jake Spitsbergen James Batsell Eleanor Epskamp-Hunt Zacharias Mills Elizabeth Strehl Grace Beck Mckinzie Ervin Ugochukwu Nwagbo Haley Wait Isaac Bertman Shelby Esman Jorge Ochoa Matoska Waltz Madelyn Betts Calvin Folsom Helen O’Leary Jessica Wile Samuel Bower Colby Hanley Gabrielle Perrin Tristan Woodsmith Kaylie Butt Lars Johnson Kabir Rastogi Ian Chu Sharat Kamath Elizabeth Reid Adam Coles Lyric Kleber Skylar Rizzolo Eleanor Barlow Tristan Greathouse Matthew Maple Jason Taft Benjamin Behrens Jacob Heasley Finneas Johnson Jamila McKenzie Michael Tarn Grace Miles Ali Thomas Jr. Rachel Niesen Alexa VanderHoff Boemin Park Nicholas Wahl Mitchell Rockwell Colin Whitman Simran Singh Colleen Whitman Eryka Swank-Schreffler Arthur Woodworth Juniors Emily Brady Quincy Bullmer Alex Cannizzaro Keegan Canny Nathan Couk Shivam Gautam Anthony Kayany Andrew Keene Lily Krone Chloe Lipovsky Alexandra Malek Sophomores Patrick Ambs Matthew Giguere Kegan Miller Stephanie Rauhoff Andrew Beering Ian Hawthorne Kristina Mills Payton Reisner Amirah Bin-Mahfouz Tanvi Khurmi Brett Moore Ryan Ross Jonah Bolton Addison Krueger Anna Nordmoe Gerrit Rummel Ashley Bynum Jackson Kujacznski Paryn Norman Emma Scheller Megan Cardwell Kyle aLdd Amanda Northrup Matthew Schuppel Karli Crouch Hayden Lane-Davies Aliya Patel Dustin Tibbetts Deanna Fagerness Aaron Lenning Emma Piper Duncan Wallis Patrick Fulton Spencer LIbbing Jesse Pollens-Voigt Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 9 Medallion Awards Senior Medallion Criteria: Recipients of the senior medallion are selected not just for academic achievement, but also for how well they exemplify key traits of life-long success such as: growth/maturity, leadership, a strong work ethic, enthusiasm/curiosity, and positive contributions to their work/learning environment. These are students who represent the best of what we believe we want KAMSC students to become. This year’s Medallion recipients are: Cameron Andrews McKinzie Ervin Cydney Martell Patrick Callahan Carolyn Hamman Jake Spitsbergen Abby Chapin Subhodh Kotekal Adam Coles An Le Junior Medallion Criteria: This award is awarded based on a strong work ethic, an unending passion for learning, an outstanding year of academic achievement, and the rare ability to handle all the demands of one of the most stressful years in high school; these are the juniors who received the Medallion Award: Ashton Armstead Ericka Lozon Emily Veenhuis Savannah Crooks Jamila McKenzie Hannah Wang Natasha Goenawan Matthew Ring Maya Lannen Alexis Roberts Sophomore Medallion Criteria: Recipients of the sophomore medallion exhibit tireless enthusiasm for learning, take advantage of extra opportunities to achieve, perseverance in subject mastery, work well with classmates, high level of integrity, academic excellence in all KAMSC subjects. The sophomores who received the Medallion Award are: Aheer Alvi Lily Kitagawa Vaughn Taylor Veronica Buss Savannah McDowell Ava Wood Danielle Janowicz Praneeth Medepalli Lizzie Kimmel Sam Ratliff 9th Grader Medallion Criteria: The selection of ninth grade medallion winners is based on maturity, enthusiasm, curiosity, leadership, strong worth ethic, academic achievement and positive contributions to the classroom. The ninth graders who received the Medallion Award are: Rene Andino Abigail Guimond Alexandria Seybold Pavitra Attanayake Siddhant Pagariya Zach Siwik Jenna bowker Emily Parker Alexa Davis Shray Rastogi Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 10 Math Awards 2014-2015 Calculus League Contest The Calculus League Competition is open to all students who are either enrolled in or have completed a Calculus course. It consists of a series of 4 timed tests that take place during the year, and parallels the development of concepts and skills in differentiation and integration. This year, KAMSC’s top finishers were: Binh Le 3rd place, with 32/40 points – 2nd place, with 33/40 points – Skylar Rizzolo Tied for 1st place, with 34/40 points – Cydney Martell & Praneeth Medepalli 58th Annual Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition In October, KAMSC had over 200 participants for Part 1 of the 58th Annual Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition, sponsored by the Michigan section of the Mathematical Association of America. The top 10% of Part 1 scores statewide are invited to take Part 2 in December. The following students qualified for Part 2, by earning a score of 17 or higher, out of 40: Benjamin Beach Isaac bertman Amirah Bin-Mahfouz Brandon Born Ian Chu Seth Eldridge Claire Holley Syed Husain Lily Kitagawa Matthew Krinock Praneeth Medepalli Zach Mills Ziyan Mo Michael Orwin Samuel Ratliff Congratulations to all Part 2 competitors! Michigan Math League Contest The Michigan Math League Contest consists of six math competitions given during the school year. Each competition consists of six problems. The following students earned the highest cumulative score at KAMSC: 2nd : Boemin Park & Elizabeth Strehl 1st: Natasha Goenawan Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 3rd: Binh Le Website: kamsconline.com 11 Math Awards (continued) The American Mathematics Competition The American Mathematics Competition is a nationwide competition that occurs in February of each year. It is offered in two versions—the AMC 10 and the AMC 12. AMC 10 is given to 9th & 10th graders and the AMC 12 is given to our 11th & 1th graders on a voluntary basis (some advanced math 10th graders qualify to take the AMC 12). The score required to compete in further rounds is 95. The top three students in each category are recognized. AMC 12 Name Grade Score Rank 1 (Winner) Rank 2 (Team Member) Rank 3 (Team Member) Claire Holley Ma hew Krinock Praneeth Medepalli 10 11 10 88.5 79.5 79.5 AMC 10 Rank 1 (Winner) Rank 2 (Team Member) Rank 3 (Team Member) Andrew Backer Shray Rastogi Samuel Ratliff 10 09 10 96.0 88.5 85.5 Scholarships Kevin P. Chao Memorial Scholarship This scholarship, established by family and friends in memory of Kevin P. Chao, provides financial assistance to students who exhibit characteristics similar to those for which Kevin is so fondly remembered. These characteristics include the achievement of personal and academic goals, a competitive spirit, leadership, high respect from everyone encountered, and a special caring for people. Congratulations to this year’s recipient: Carolyn Hamman Kaitan Kothari Memorial Scholarship This scholarship, established by family in memory of Kaitan Kothari, provides financial assistance to students who exhibit characteristics similar to those for which Kaitan is remembered. These characteristics include academic achievement, leadership, and a competitive athletic spirit with a contagious smile. Congratulations to this year’s recipient: Cydney Martell Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 12 Computer Competitions National Center for Women & Information Technology Regional Awards For the 3rd straight year a KAMSC senior has been selected as one of 35 na onal finalists by the Na onal Center for Women & Informa on Technology (NCWIT). Kathleen D'Souza is Michigan's only 2015 finalist. She was selected as a na onal runner up and state finalist in 2014, and a state runner up in 2013. Nearly 2700 girls from all 50 states and several U.S. territories ap‐ plied. Addi onally, 6 KAMSC students received na onal runner up nods, 9 were selected as state finalists, and 12 were recognized as state runners up. SENIORS Kathleen D’Souza—Na onal Finalist Chloe Mendez—State Finalist Ellie Reid—Na onal Runner Up, State Finalist Ellie Epskamp‐Hunt—State Runner Up Kimberly Kwon—State Finalist JUNIORS Savannah Crooks—Na onal Runner Up, State Finalist Nikita Bha a—State Runner Up Emily Veenhuis—Na onal Runner Up, State Finalist Chelsie Eiden—State Runner Up Lexi Roberts—Na onal Runner Up, State Runner Up Natasha Goenawan—State Runner Up Rachel Torres—Na onal Runner Up, State Runner Up Riley Martell—State Runner Up Sydnie Bodzianowski—State Finalist Paige O’Connor—State Runner Up Jamila McKenzie—State Finalist Simran Singh—State Runner Up Nell Barlow—State Runner Up Judy Smith—State Runner Up Grace Beverage—State Runner Up SOPHOMORES Aayushi Priya—Na onal Runner Up, State Finalist Lily Kitagawa—State finalist Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 13 Computer Competitions (Continued) USA Computing Olympiad SILVER OLYMPIANS Seniors Juniors Sophomores Evan Batsell Sydnie Bodzianowski Lily Kitagawa Ed Fenwick Brandon Born Subhodh Kotekal Sam Maddox Zach Mills Michael Orwin BRONZE OLYMPIANS Seniors Juniors Sophomores Ellie Epskamp-Hunt Jawad Aqeel Aayushi Priya Ben Maddux Ashton Armstead Ava Wood Cydney Martell Jack Eichman Skylar Rizzolo Chelsie Eiden Riley Martell IBM Master the Mainframe Over 100 KAMSC students took part in the annual IBM Master the Mainframe contest with most finish‐ ing Part 1 early enough to earn a t‐shirt and cer ficate. Five students succeeded in comple ng the rigor‐ ously challenging Part 2‐‐Lily Kitagawa, Aayushi Priya, Zach Mills, Matoska Waltz, and Arthur Wood‐ worth. Addi onally, KAMSC's only student to ever complete Part 3, KAMSC 2014 alum and current U of M fresh‐ man Kyle Milka, did so again this year. CodeWarrior Inductions Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Seniors Juniors William Baldwin Ian Chu Kathleen D’Souza Kimberly Kwon Ben Maddux Cydney Martell Ellie Reid Parker Russcher Savannah Crooks Jack Eichman Emily Veenhuis Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Sophomores Lily Kitagawa Sam Ratliff Ava Wood Website: kamsconline.com 14 Computer Competitions (Continued) Purdue University ACM HSPC 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th Place Computer programmers from KAMSC paired up to represent KMSC and their home schools at the inaugural ACM High School Programming Contest at Purdue University. KAMSC swept the event placing 9 teams in the top 11. Subhodh Kotekal and Ben Maddux won the event earning Asus laptops. Evan Batsell and Zach Mills were runners up winning Asus tablets. Ian Chu and Binh Le won a gift card worth $100 for placing 3rd. Pictured above are KAMSC Seniors: Bill Baldwin, Evan Batsell, Ian Chu, Kathleen D’Souza, Ellie Epskamp-Hunt, Ed Fenwick, Subhodh Kotekal, Kimberly Kwon, Binh Le, Ben Maddux, Cydney Martell, Zach Mills, Ugo Nwagbo, Skylar Rizzolo, Parker Russcher, Matoska Waltz, Tristan Woodsmith. KAMSC Juniors: Riley Martell, Paige O’Connor, and Michael Orwin. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 15 Computer Competitions (Continued) Eastern Michigan University—MACUL HSPC Adv: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th Place Beg: 3rd, 7th Place 50 programmers from KAMSC and from the Kalamazoo Academically Talented Youth Program (ATYP) competed in teams of 3 at the 6th annual MACUL High School Programming Contest at EMU. Each team used the Java and C++ programming languages on a single computer to solve as many challenge problems as they could in a 3-hour period. KAMSC programmers placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 10th in the advanced division, and 4th and 7th in the beginners division. The competition attracted 162 students (58 teams) from several high schools and regional schools throughout the state. Pictured above KAMSC Seniors: Bill Baldwin, Evan Batsell, Ian Chu, Kathleen D'Souza, Ed Fenwick, Colby Hanley, Subhodh Kotekal, Kimberly Kwon, Binh Le, Ben Maddux, Cydney Martell, Chloe Mendez, Zach Mills, Skylar Rizzolo, Parker Russcher, Abby Shirey, and Matoska Waltz,. KAMSC Juniors: Jawad Aqeel, Ashton Armstead, Connor Bach, Nell Barlow, Benjamin Beach, Nikita Bhatia, Sydnie Bodzianowski, Brandon Born, Savannah Crooks, Jack Eichman, Chelsie Eiden, Natasha Goenawan, Kento Hirakawa, Otto Kailing, Andrew Keene, Matthew Krinock, Riley Martell, Paige O'Connor, Michael Orwin, Matt Ring, Lexi Roberts, Michael Tarn, Ali Thomas, Emily Veenhuis, and Arthur Woodworth. KAMSC Sophomores: Lily Kitagawa, Hayden Lane-Davies, Aayushi Priya, Sam Ratliff, Dustin Tibbets, Ava Wood. KAMSC 9th grader: Sid Pagariya. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 16 Computer Competitions (Continued) Saginaw Valley State University 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th Place KAMSC Students a ended the computer programming compe on at Saginaw Valley State University recently and two teams took second and third place! Congratula ons to Ian Chu, Binh Le, & Ugo Nwagbo for placing 2nd and Evan Batsell, Sub‐ hodh Kotekal, and Michael Orwin for placing third. KAMSC programmers placed five teams in the top eight. Pictured above are KAMSC seniors: Evan Batsell, Ian Chu, Kathleen D’Souza, Ellie Epskamp‐Hunt, Subhodh Kotekal, Kim Dwon, Binh Le, Chloe Mendez, Ugo Nwagbo, Ellie Reid, Skylar Rizzolo, Parker Russcher, Matoska Waltz, Tristan Wood‐ smith. Juniors: Nikita Bha a, Sydnie Bodzinowski, Savannah crooks, Natasha Goenawan, O o Kailing, Michael Orwin, Ma ring, Lexi Roberts, Judy mith, Ali Thomas Jr, Emily Veenhuis, Arthur Woodworth. Sophomores: Aheer Alvi, An‐ drew Beering, Chad Blackwell, Nika Buss, Ashley Bynum, Megan Cardwell, William Chung, Ian Hawthorne, Lizzie Kim‐ mel, Lilly Kitagawa, Spencer Libbing, Savannah McDowell, Praneeth Medepalli, Kris na Mills, Aayushi Priya, Samuel Ratliff, Dus n Tibbe s, Ava Wood, Lena Wood, Lachlan Woods. 9th Grader: Sid Pagariya Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 17 Computer Competitions (Continued) American Computer Science League ACSL All-Star International Team Orlando, FL—May 23 SENIOR TEAM INTERMEDIATE TEAM ALL-STAR ALTERNATIVES Evan Batsell Bill Baldwin Brandon Born Subhodh Kotekal Ian Chu Jack Eichman Zach Mills Ed Fenwick Chelsi Eiden Michael Orwin Kimberly Kwon Abby Shirey Matoska Waltz Ben Maddux Riley Martell Lily Kitagawa Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 18 Computer Competitions (Continued) U. Michigan-Dearborn Team CS: 1st, 2nd, 5th Place Simulation: 2nd Place Game Programming: Honorable Mention *2 SIMULATION GAME DESIGNERS Ben Maddux Zach Mills Bill Baldwin Kimberly Kwon Cydney Martell Ellie Reid Skylar Rizzolo Parker Russcher Jawad Aqeel Ashton Armstead ROBOTIC ENGINEERS Kathleen D’Souza Nikita Bhatia Sydnie Bodzianowski Chelsie Eiden Riley Martell Lexi Roberts Simran Singh Rachel Torres Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Subhodh Kotekal Ugo Nwagbo Abby Shirey Matoska Waltz Ben Beach Grace Beverage Brandon Born Savannah Crooks Jack Eichman Sam Maddox Paige O’Connor Michael Orwin Emily Veenhuis PROGRAMMERS Evan Batsell Ian Chu Ed Fenwick Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 19 Computer Competitions (Continued) Miami University ACM Teams 2nd, 7th, 10th Place SENIORS JUNIORS SOPHOMORES 9TH GRADER Evan Batsell Michael Orwin Chad Black well Sid Pagariya Bend Maddux Michael Tarn Lizzie Kimmel Zach Mills Ali Thomas Jr. Lily Kitagawa Parker Russcher Sam Ratliff Matoska Waltz Vaughn Taylor Dustin Tibbits Ava Wood Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 20 Computer Competitions (Continued) ACSL Programmer Perfect Scores SENIORS Baldwin, Bill (4) Batsell, Evan (4) Chu, Ian (4) D'Souza, Kathleen Epskamp-Hunt, Ellie (3) Fenwick, Ed (2) Kotekal, Subhodh (7) Kwon, Kimberly (4) Le, Binh (2) Maddux, Ben (6) Martell, Cydney Mendez, Chloe Mills, Zach (3) Rizzolo, Skylar (2) Russcher, Parker (2) Waltz, Matoska (4) Woodsmith, Tristan (2) JUNIORS Aqeel, Jawad (3) Armstead, Ashton (4) Beach, Ben Beverage, Grace Bhatia, Nikita Bodzianowski, Sydnie (3) Born, Brandon (4) Crooks, Savannah Eichman, Jack (2) Eiden, Chelsie (3) Goenawan, Natasha (2) Krinock, Matthew (4) Maddox, Sam (4) Martell, Riley (4) O'Connor, Paige Orwin, Michael (7) Roberts, Lexi (2) Tarn, Michael Veenhuis, Emily (3) Woodworth, Arthur ACSL Classroom Perfect Scores* Sophomores Ballentine, Olivia Holley, Claire (2) Janowicz, Danielle Kitagawa, Lily Kothawala, Kyra McDowell, Savannah Medepalli, Praneeth Nordmoe, Anna Ratliff, Sam Taylor, Vaughn *at press me Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 21 Research Awards The Surgeon General Special Science Award—SWMSE Regional Science Fair Kaylie Butt “Evaluating the quality of Trauma Care—A Literature Review” 1st Place individual SWMSE Regional Science Fair & Semi-Finalist Southeastern Junior Science & Humanities Competition McKinzie Ervin “Optimization of yeast surface display to display large repertoires of antibody variable fragments” Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award-SWMSE Regional Science Fair & 1st Place Southeastern Michigan Junior Science & Humanities Symposium Edward Fenwick “Analysis of Central Processing Unit (CPU) bench marks using the Pin Binary Instrumentation Tool” 3rd Place Individual SWMSE Regional Science Fair Semi-Finalist Southeastern Michigan Junior Science & Humanities Symposium KAMSC Parent Award Carolyn Hamman “The Evolution of Two Strains of Nutrient Dependent Thalassiosira Pseudomona at Two Different Temperatures” 1st Place Team SWMSE Regional Science Fair, 2nd place awards at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fiar Natasha Goenawan & Ziyan Mo “Two-Photon Spectroscopy for the early diagnostics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Folding and Aggregation of SOD1” 3rd Place team, SWME Regional Science Fair Nikita Bhatia and Sydnie Bodzianowski “Comparison of Coloration and Other Characteristics of the Monarch Butterflies: Danaus Plexippus and Danaus Erippus” Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 22 Research Awards (continued) Yale Science & Engineering Award at the SWME Regional Science Fair Adam Coles & Binh Le “Designing a Graphical User Interface for Domain Scientists” 2nd Place Individual, SWME Regional Science Fair & 6th Place Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Jorge Ochoa “Regulation of Glial Cell-Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression in Cardiac Muscle” ASM Materials Education Award at the SWME Regional Science Fair Sharat Kamath & Subhodh Kotekal “The Effect of Gold Spacer Additives on a Resistance Based Caron Nanotube Amino Biosensor Material Concept” Donald R. Parfet Distinguished Service Award In honor of Donald R. Parfet whose continued service and advocacy for The Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center has provided a valuable model for all of us to emulate. We, the staff of The Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center would like to recognize and honor the following student for her service contributions to the KAMSC community Colby Hanley White Coat Award of Laboratory Excellence Bedi Award of Research Excellence Carolyn Hamman Savannah Crooks Ed Fenwick McKinzie Ervin Jorge Ochoa Research Team 2015-2016 If you have signed up for the Research Team or are interested in joining, stop by and see Dr. Thorstenson in Room 434 or email him at jthorstenson@kamsc.k12.mi.us. Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 23 Book Awards Biology AP Biology Chemistry This student demonstrates interest in the life sciences that go beyond the classroom; someone for whom biology really “pops their twitzel.” This student has a strong yearning to investigate the marvels of biology, has a high quality of work and a desire to go beyond the required. This student has a curiosity and a passion for scientific investigation. Isabel Holtan Otto Kailing Lily Kitagowa AP Chemistry Physics Advanced Physics This student must have shown solid academic success, a strong work ethic, and a passion and curiosity for learning. This student has a curiosity and a passion for scientific investigation. Jason Taft Benjamin Beach & Savannah Crooks Biomedical Science AP Environmental This student demonstrated curiosity, enthusiasm, diligence and a love for the subject. Cydney Martell Information Technology Science This student demonstrated outstanding interest, commitment and leadership across a diverse group of topics and projects in IT. This student displays both aptitude and interest for human biology and physiology. This student shows consistent and wide-ranging passion for the health and welfare of the planet Earth and demonstrates their involvement with action Maggie Smith Cameron Andrews Sophomore Advanced Computer Computer Science Science This student demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, diligence, leadership and contributions to KAMSC Computer Teams that are marked by excellence. This student demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, diligence, leadership and contributions to KAMSC Computer Teams that are marked by excellence. This student demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, diligence, leadership and contributions to KAMSC Computer Teams that are marked by excellence. Lily Kitagawa Subhodh Kotekal & Zach Mills Brandon Born Alexandra Seybold AP Computer Science Microbiology Cell Biology Rachel Niesen Finn Johnson Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 24 Tenta ve Rolling Calendar 2015‐2016 Keep in mind that all dates & mes are subject to change DATE TIME DESCRIPTION Intro to Science Inquiry (session I‐incoming 9th gr.) Intro to Science Inquiry (session II‐incoming 9th gr.) 9th Grade Orienta on @ KNC Labor Day ‐ No School No Students 8/17‐21 Mon‐Fri 8/24‐28 Mon‐Fri 8/31 9/7 Monday Monday 8:30‐11:30/12:30‐ 3:30 8:30‐11:30/12:30‐ 3:30 2:00 ‐ 5:00 PM 9/8 Tuesday 9/9 Wednesday 9/16 Wednesday 8:00‐10:27 / 11:30‐ 2:00 6:30 ‐ 8:30 PM 9/23 Wednesday 6:00 ‐ 7:30 PM 9/23 9/23 Wednesday Wednesday 6:15 ‐ 7:00 PM 6:00 ‐ 7:30 PM 9/30 Wednesday 7:00 PM 10/21 11/6 11/9‐13 11/11 11/14 Wednesday Friday All Week Wednesday Saturday 6:15 ‐ 7:00 PM All Day 6:15 ‐ 7:00 PM 1‐4 PM/ 8‐11 PM 11/18 Wednesday 5:30 ‐ 8:30 PM Thursday Friday Wednesday Thurs ‐ Friday Sunday Wednesday Friday Mon‐Fri Mon ‐ Tues Mon ‐ Wed Wed. Fri. 5:30 ‐ 8:30 PM 7:30AM ‐ 2:30 PM 2:00 ‐ 4:00 PM 6:15 ‐ 7:00 PM PM AM PM 11/19 11/20 11/25 11/26 & 27 12/6 12/16 12/18 12/21‐1/1 1/18‐19 1/18‐20 1/20 1/22 DAY Phone: (269) 337‐0004 Fax: (269) 337‐0049 1st day for KAMSC students KAMSC Open House Open Lab Begins (every Wed. unless otherwise indicated) Parents Organiza on Mee ng 9th Grade Mixer (room 130) KAMSC College Night (in Presenta on Center) Parents Organiza on Mee ng No Students (No County Programs) Spirit Week Parents Organiza on Mee ng Class Clash / KAMSC Dance (South Gym) Parent Teacher Conferences (No Open Lab) Parent Teacher Conferences Parent Teacher Conferences (No Students) No School (No County Programs) Thanksgiving Break Senior Mentor Tea @ Cityscape Parents Organiza on Mee ng Alumni Day Winter Recess Math & Science Exams (AM) Elec ve, Math, Science Exams‐ (PM) NO OPEN LAB End of 1st Semester‐No County Programs Website: kamsconline.com 25 KAMSC Announcements KAMSC Public Calendar Be sure to visit our online calendar to stay on top of the latest and greatest! Go to kamsconline.com, click ‘links’ on the le side, and scroll down to ‘KAMSC Public Calendar.’ Lost & Found Items Be sure to check the lost & found in the KAMSC office to see if anything belongs to you. Items not claimed will eventually be donated to Goodwill Elevator Use Students may use the elevator only for medical or physical reasons and only for a specified period of me. Please have a doc‐ tor’s note or a parent call KAMSC to inform the office if this occurs. Backpack Reminder Students may leave backpacks in front of the lockers. Please do not block doorways, elevators, fire boxes, etc. The backpacks should be upright and set close to the lockers, walls, etc. so others do not trip on them. Parking S ckers Please note: Students who drive and park at KAMSC are required to register their vehicles with the KAMSC office. You will be issued a free parking pass; if you do not have a parking pass, you may be towed. Students: Please park in the student parking area at the north end of the parking lot between El Sol Elementary and the CEC Building (KAMSC). Open Lab Nights Star ng September 23 on Wednesday evenings from 6‐7:30pm, we host open labs. As a reminder students should be picked up in a mely manner. School Closings Severe weather o en brings school closings. If Kalamazoo Public Schools close due to bad weather—KAMSC will be closed. Stu‐ dents whose district school is closed due to bad weather are strongly encouraged to consider safety first when deciding whether or not to a end their KAMSC classes. KAMSC Parents/Guardians & Volunteers A Special “Thank You” THANK YOU! Thank you to all of the parents/guardians and volunteers who sacrifice their me helping out with mul ple undertakings at KAMSC. Without your assistance, we would be short‐staffed and face challenging deadlines while trying to accomplish the necessary tasks, all which contribute to the success of KAMSC. You are a very important part of the equa on and we could not be as effec ve without your help! Phone: (269) 337‐0004 KAMSC staff would like to thank donors for their gen‐ erous dona ons of supplies and equipment as well as the monetary contribu ons that were given last year. Your generosity is very much appreciated! Fax: (269) 337‐0049 Website: kamsconline.com 26